The Motorcoach Insider

  The AI Data Center Boom Is Creating a New Market for Motorcoach Operators From construction-worker shuttles to fleet expansion and driver recruitment, billions of dollars in AI infrastructure investment are creating opportunities for motorcoach companies willing to look beyond traditional charter transportation. The artificial intelligence boom is transforming more than the technology industry. Across the United States, massive data centers and supporting infrastructure projects are bringing thousands of construction workers into communities that must accommodate the demands of these developments. Much of the attention has focused on the billions being invested, the electricity required to power these facilities, and the jobs they are creating. But another industry is beginning to benefit from this construction activity: motorcoach transportation . Building a major data center requires electricians, pipefitters, welders, equipment installers, and numerous specialized contractors....

  Trump Opens Dyed Diesel to Highway Use. What Does It Mean for Motorcoach Operators? The administration is offering temporary relief from federal diesel taxes as fuel prices climb, but whether motorcoach operators can take advantage of it—and how—is still unclear. Fuel prices have always been one of the variables motorcoach operators have the least control over. A charter can be quoted weeks or even months before it operates, but the price of diesel can change considerably between the day the contract is signed and the day the coach leaves the yard. That makes the Trump administration's latest move on diesel worth watching closely. On October 5, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at providing temporary relief from elevated diesel costs. Among other provisions, the order temporarily removes certain federal penalties associated with using dyed diesel on public highways and directs the Treasury Department to determine what tax relief can be provided through Decemb...

  Prevost: Why Operators, Drivers and Mechanics Still Have Opinions About This Coach The Coaches That Built the American Charter Industry — Part II By Dhinel “Danny” Biyanwela There are certain conversations you can start around motorcoach people without even trying very hard. MCI or Prevost? H3 or X3? Which one rides better? Which one is easier to work on? Which one holds its value? Which one would your drivers rather take on a five-day tour? Prevost is one of those brands where everybody seems to have an opinion, and after looking through the industry conversation surrounding the company over the last decade, I think that is a much more interesting story than simply going back through 100 years of company history. Because the people looking at the same coach are often looking at completely different things. The driver is thinking about the cockpit, visibility and how the coach handles after eight hours behind the wheel. The mechanic is thinking about how difficult it will be to r...

  Who Owns the Trip? The Money, Insurance and Liability Behind the Charter Bus Broker The operator owns the coach, pays the driver, buys the diesel and carries the insurance. The broker may control the customer, negotiate the rate and collect the money. As brokers take a larger role in charter sales, the financial question is getting harder to ignore: who is actually carrying the risk? By Dhinel “Danny” Biyanwela I keep seeing the same conversation in this industry. A broker sends a trip to an operator. The operator prices it based on the coach, driver, mileage, fuel, deadhead, tolls and everything else that goes into actually providing the transportation. Then the email comes back: the customer is on a budget. Can you come down another $300? Another company is cheaper. Can you sharpen the pencil? I recently saw another operator respond publicly to that exact argument. His point was simple: the customer may be on a budget, but the bus company is on one too. That stuck with me beca...

  Your Biggest Customer Might Not Be Your Best Customer Motorcoach operators know what a customer spends. But after discounts, deadhead, driver time, fuel, itinerary changes, slow payments and the coach days that account consumes, do we know what the customer actually makes us? By Dhinel “Danny” Biyanwela I came across a LinkedIn post recently that got me thinking about something we probably don't talk about enough in the motorcoach business. The basic idea was simple. A customer promises a lot of volume. You give them a better rate because of that volume. The volume never really materializes. But somehow the discount does. I read that and immediately started thinking about charter buses. Because how many times have we heard some version of this? “Take care of us on the rate. We're going to give you a lot of business.” Maybe it's a university. Maybe a hotel. Maybe a tour company, DMC, broker, school, sports organization or corporate account. And sometimes they ab...